The invention concerns a method, a device system and a computer program system to process document data. In particular, it concerns a method and systems to process a print data stream that is prepared for output on an output device such as, for example, a print device or an electronic mailing system (email system). In electronic high-capacity printing systems, such a preparation typically occurs on computers that process the print files or print data from application programs such that they are adapted for the printer. The print data are thereby, for example, processed as an output data stream of a specific print data language such as AFP (Advanced Function Presentation), PCL (Printer Command Language) or PostScript.
In mainframe centers, print data are typically collected (spooling event) in a host computer (main frame), and print jobs (jobs) are generated from them that are adapted for output on high-capacity printing systems such that, in the production operation, the high-capacity printing systems can be temporally, optimally operated at full capacity. They can thereby largely be used in continuous operation.
Such high-capacity printing systems, with print speeds of approximately 40 DIN A 4 pages per minute up to over 1000 DIN A 4 pages per minute, are, for example, specified in the publication “Das Druckerbuch”, published by Dr. Gerd Goldmann (Océ Printing Systems GmbH), edition 4C, October 1999, ISBN 3-000-00 1019-X. In chapter 12 (pages 12-1 through 12-18) of this publication, the print server system known under the same PRISMA PRO® is specified which serves in production printing environments to prepare print data streams.
In chapter 14 of the same book, a production monitoring and checking system is specified under the title “Océ Domain”, in which a document production process is planned, monitored and controlled. The system checks the production of documents and thereby monitors whether the documents are correctly printed, and checks the print quality in the course of the further processing—for example in a cutting device, an envelope device, and/or a device for mailing—for correct processing. Given interruptions, the system automatically initiates the reprint of a replacement document and the elimination of the document processed incorrectly, such that a continuous process checking of the generation of the document in an electronic system, for example an application program on a computer, is ensured until the conclusion of the production process, for example via the provision of the document for mailing.
To control and monitor the document production event, in the system cited above a plurality of computer-controlled components, what are known as managers, are provided that administer various monitoring or control tasks in the document production event. In what is known as a system manager, operation data of the overall printing process or preprocessing and post-processing process are recorded. All routing information in the implementation of the document production job, for example the number, size and parameters of the jobs to be processed, their degree of completion and duration, are thereby determined, and the devices with which the jobs were processed are recorded.
Machine data of the document production system are registered with what is known as the device manager. Static machine data, such as, for example, the device identification, its serial number, version or control software, etc., are thereby entered once into a databank. Dynamic machine data that are continually recorded during the operation of the device, for example current device settings, error notifications and capacity data (counter readings, clock speeds and so forth), are thereby provided on an ongoing basis with a corresponding time stamp and likewise recorded in the databank. Using these data, device evaluations for individual devices or device groups can then occur, for example workload reports, error reports or capacity reports can be generated. Such data or reports can then be exported via an application program-specific interface (application program interface, API) into other systems suitable for evaluation.
A typical print data format in electronic production printing environments is the format AFP (Advanced Function Presentation), which, for example, is specified in the publication Nr. F-544-3884-01 by the company International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) with the title “AFP Programming Guide and Line Data Reference”. In this publication, the specification for a further data stream with the designation “S/370 Line-Mode Data” is also specified. The print data stream AFP was further developed into the print data stream MO:DCA, which is specified in the IBM publication SC31-6802-04 with the title “Mixed Object Document Content Architecture Reference”. Details of this data stream, in particular the use of structured fields, are specified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,488.
The program that was known under the designation ACIF, with which it is possible to index and to convert print data streams, was achieved by the company IBM. The ACIF application is specified in the IBM brochure G544-3824-00 with the title “Conversion and indexing facility application programming guide” as well as in the IBM brochure Nr. S544-5285-00 with the designation “AFP conversion and indexing facility (ACIF) user's guide”.
In WO-A1-00/49489, a method to operate a print system under production conditions is specified in which a plurality of print devices and additional devices are coupled with control computers, and in which control information is exchanged between the devices and the computers.
In WO-A1-00/68877, a method and a system are specified with which print data are provided for printing in a logical sequence corresponding to a signature.
In WO 01/77807 A2 (Int. Anm. Nr. PCT/EP01/04556), a method and a device system are specified with which large print data streams (under the circumstances comprising multiple thousand print pages) are processed for an output with high speed under print production conditions. The print data streams are thereby converted into a normalized data format, the data subsequently indexed and resorted by means of the index thereby generated by means of predetermined parameters, such that they are adapted and/or optimized for speed with regard to their print sequence for subsequent processing steps.
Methods and systems are specified in WO 02/19182 with which a document production process can be implemented time-optimized in a high-speed printing system.
A monitoring system is specified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,967 A with which generated print stock is checked with regard to its integrity with the data provided for printing.
A document production and processing system for what are known as mail pieces (mail sales shipments) is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,132 A.
A system to measure the stack height in a mailbox grain of a printer used mutually by a plurality of users is known from DE 696 11 649 T2.
Further document production and processing systems are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,488 A, DE 692 30 653 T2, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,333 A.
The contents of all of the publications and patent applications cited above are hereby included by reference in the present specification.